Working Out Isn’t Just for Athletes: How to Fit Fitness into Your Schedule

Only one in three adults practice the recommended amount of physical activity each week. Yikes! There are a million reasons why we don’t get enough exercise, but even if you can’t make time to get to the gym, here are some ways to make time for working out despite the other household necessities taking time in your schedule.

Keeping active in your daily life

Adding more movement to the activities you already do around the house or when running errands can be a great way to incorporate a bit more fitness into your life even if you feel like you’re too busy to exercise. For example, if you live close enough, consider walking to the grocery store instead of driving. This goes for any other errands you may need to carry out during the day as well! If you can walk or bike, always do that before driving. While this might take a bit more time, the results will be more than worth it.

Another way to add some exercise to your day is to find ways to work out in small increments at a time. If you’ve been working at a computer or sewing machine for a long time, get up and stretch your legs, or practice leg raises right from your seat. Stretch often to keep your body flexible and awake. If you’re cleaning the house, try adding squats or lunges to your cleaning routine, so that you’re being productive in two ways at once. Though it’s easy to feel like you’re too busy to workout, in reality there are a lot of ways to multitask and turn something you’re already doing into an exercise.

Make the most of your time

Take a hard look at your schedule and your to-do lists and find places to adjust and create more time for yourself to workout or to take a break. For example, if you find yourself spending an hour in bed on your phone in the morning, switch that unproductive time into a quick morning workout. You’ll feel more energized and awake in the long run.

You can also take advantage of gaps in your schedule. If you find yourself waiting for someone and can’t do something productive, try sneaking in a workout. Even doing a couple of calf raises while you’re standing in line at the grocery store can be a way to get your blood flowing without drawing attention to what you’re doing.

Workouts can be hard to prioritize, but if you begin to make as many of these small changes as you can, you will begin to get used to the idea of an active lifestyle, and with time it may be easier to schedule full workouts or to get your blood flowing and your heart beating.